Doubts cloud WyoTech's future in Indiana County

Daily Photo Galleries

Indiana Photo Galleries

Uniform-clad students started classes at WyoTech in Indiana County last week, but financial woes and an uncertain future make things at the automotive school anything but business as usual.

A deal between the federal Department of Education and Wyotech's parent company, Corinthian Colleges Inc., has put all of Corinthian's campuses on life support. All of them will be sold or “taught out,” which means students will be able to finish their programs, but no new students will be allowed to enroll.

The Department of Education announced earlier this month that it would delay financial aid payments to Corinthian amid allegations that some of the company's campuses had been fudging grades and job placement data to appear more attractive to prospective students. Without that federal money, the financially strapped company cut a deal with the Department of Education, which agreed to pay $16 million to Corinthian to enable the schools to keep functioning as a shutdown plan is formed.

WyoTech's Blairsville campus in Burrell Township has been feeling the financial pinch for quite some time. Enrollment is down to 614 students from an average of about 1,200 since the campus opened in 2002. The school has laid off 28 employees in the past year, leaving it with a staff of 114.

Nonetheless, college President Art Herman said he believes WyoTech Blairsville —which includes studies in automotive technology, collision refinishing technology and diesel technology — will continue even if Corinthian is no more.

“We just need to keep doing what we're doing,” he said.

The school's economic impact has been valuable to nearby Blairsville, with its population of about 3,400 people, according to Borough Manager Timothy Evans. The school has provided jobs on campus and plenty of students eager to rent from local landlords.

Mike Shapiro said he has been as busy as ever this year. His apartments near the campus depend on students to survive.

“That's it,” he said. “Without them, I'm done.”

He has been considering selling the property, although he is not sure whether it will be a valuable prospect without WyoTech.

“We can see the handwriting on the wall. We've been getting ready to sell, but we might have waited a few days too long,” he said.

The layoffs also have affected the borough.

“It's hard, because I know a couple people that were laid off,” Evans said, although he thinks the school will likely survive in some form. He said he hopes it will somehow be able to operate independently,rather than being part of “some company that's trying to make a buck.”

Corinthian has not released any details on the fate of individual campuses but is expected to reveal a detailed plan on Tuesday.

“It's such a sensitive situation. Things are moving so fast right now. I'm reluctant to say more than what we've already said at this point,” said Corinthian spokesman Kent Jenkins.

Jenkins did say that WyoTech Blairsville's academic record might make it a prospect for purchase, rather than closure.

“Those are strengths that certainly anyone evaluating WyoTech will take into consideration,” he said.

Herman said he is counting on a transition, rather than a closure.

“My goal would be, and I expect it would be, as seamless as possible,” he said.

WyoTech Blairsville, as all Corinthian campuses, is under investigation by the Department of Education to determine whether any records have been falsified. Herman said his campus has never fabricated records, and that he expects no trouble from the department.

“I have no concerns in that regard here. We play things straight up,” he said.

No matter whether the college is sold or closed, current students will be allowed to finish their education. They have been notified of the situation via emails and text messages, Herman said.

With additional reporting by Jeff Himler. Jacob Tierney is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 724-836-6646 or jtierney@tribweb.com.

TribLive commenting policy

You are solely responsible for your comments and by using TribLive.com you agree to our Terms of Service.

We moderate comments. Our goal is to provide substantive commentary for a general readership. By screening submissions, we provide a space where readers can share intelligent and informed commentary that enhances the quality of our news and information.

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderating decisions are subjective. We will make them as carefully and consistently as we can. Because of the volume of reader comments, we cannot review individual moderation decisions with readers.

We value thoughtful comments representing a range of views that make their point quickly and politely. We make an effort to protect discussions from repeated comments  either by the same reader or different readers.

We follow the same standards for taste as the daily newspaper. A few things we won't tolerate: personal attacks, obscenity, vulgarity, profanity (including expletives and letters followed by dashes), commercial promotion, impersonations, incoherence, proselytizing and SHOUTING. Don't include URLs to Web sites.

We do not edit comments. They are either approved or deleted. We reserve the right to edit a comment that is quoted or excerpted in an article. In this case, we may fix spelling and punctuation.

We welcome strong opinions and criticism of our work, but we don't want comments to become bogged down with discussions of our policies and we will moderate accordingly.

We appreciate it when readers and people quoted in articles or blog posts point out errors of fact or emphasis and will investigate all assertions. But these suggestions should be sent via e-mail. To avoid distracting other readers, we won't publish comments that suggest a correction. Instead, corrections will be made in a blog post or in an article.

Print Source

Welcome to PrintSource, a division of Trib Total Media.

We have established a veteran team that provides daily and weekly newspaper companies with a comprehensive set of services that include design, print, packaging and delivery of their products, all from one source and location.

Gone are the days when each facet of newspaper printing and delivery had to be outsourced to different companies and venues. Now, PrintSource provides a viable solution with just one phone call.

Digital Sales

We offer a wide variety of traditional and new digital advertising options customized to fit your needs!

Whether you're just starting out, or you've been a keystone in the community for years, our knowledgeable staff can provide you with a customized package including online banners/advertisements, Social Media Marketing (Facebook / Twitter), Website development, Search Engine Optimization, Email Marketing solutions and much more!

Contact your local sales rep today for details, personalized proposal and a meeting to discuss how we can meet your needs.